Pain vs Joy: Which is most intense?

Intensity of hurt and joy.
Photo source: Pixabay.com

We had some major "overcoming moments" this weekend. The joy we felt solving the problem together was intense. Anxiety. Overwhelmed. Helpless. Clueless. All seemed to prevail.

But THEN ... problem solved. Breakthrough! Joy abounds.

It was intense.

We wake this morning to enjoy our victory yet, the intensity went full swing the other way.

Those strong senses of gratitude and deep love and appreciation were quickly washed away with harsh words. Impatience. Sting of rebuke.

Tears wanted to come and then I heard in my head "do not let Satan steal your joy."

Immediately I thanked God for that reminder. This is the enemy identified. The ambush was intense. Brief. And the skirmish resolved quickly. 

I wiped my tears and thought about the joy of yesterday and the hurt of just now. How equally intense they are. Then I remembered an even more intense joy.

A few years back I was driving to work. One of my habits has been to listen to Scripture via the Bible app by YouVersion. I wish I could recall the Scripture I was hearing. It might have been a Psalm. It might have been a letter from Paul. It even could have been a turnaround moment for an early Old Testament personality like Isaiah or Moses. 

I recall, though, being intensely aware of God's holy focus on me. The pride He has in His creation, His daughter. The joy that flooded me was intense. It was like being filled completely with pureness. With light that lifted weight.

It took my breath away and flooded my eyes with joyous tears.

Scripture tells us in more than one place to "be anxious for nothing but, with thanks giving, let your requests be made known to God." In the middle of the sermon on the mount Matt 5-7 Jesus tells us to "seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you." 

All those thoughts hit me this morning and I decided to share on this blog.

When I think of the Infinitude of God and what that means, I'm always awed, humbled, amazed. You see, there is no diminishing of infinity. My mind cannot comprehend infinity. I am finite. But, God is infinite.

This means His love is infinite. He loves everybody completely without diminishing any love for YOU, dear reader, He loves me completely. Without diminishing His attention to me, He focuses completely on your life.

That sense of pride focused on His creation is just as intense for you as it is for me. And it is complete. Undiminished due to the simple fact that God, Who is infinite, is The One looking at each of us. 

Think about that for a bit.

God blesses you!